At our venture capital firm, Cue Ball, we are pretty maniacal about understanding customers. We encourage our portfolio company CEOs to dive deep — very deep — and learn about their customers along every possible dimension. My Partner, Dick Harrington, and developed a customer-driven approach and capability set that we put in place at Thomson which ultimately was a key driver of the company’s transformation into a global media and information powerhouse. We wrote about this in a 2008 HBR article, Transforming Strategy One Customer at a Time.
The Three-Minute Rule
At our venture capital firm, Cue Ball, we are pretty maniacal about understanding customers. We encourage our portfolio company CEOs to dive deep — very deep — and learn about their customers along every possible dimension. My Partner, Dick Harrington, and developed a customer-driven approach and capability set that we put in place at Thomson […]
January 22, 2010
New!
HBR Learning
Customer Focus Course
Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Customer Focus. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
Learn how to keep your customers—and their most important needs—front and center.
Learn More & See All Courses
New!
HBR Learning
Customer Focus Course
Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Customer Focus. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
Learn how to keep your customers—and their most important needs—front and center.